How to Teach Empathy to Toddlers and Preschoolers

You can use a mirror to help toddlers and preschoolers identify their emotions.

Toddlers and preschoolers are just developing social skills - learning how to share with each other, play together, and talk with each other. At this crucial time, it is important to emphasize yet another skill, the skill of empathy. Toddlers and preschoolers can begin to understand that other people have feelings as well, and that we can take their feelings into account before acting. Parents and teachers need to actively build this skill in order to raise empathic children.

Instructions

1. Label the emotions that your child feels when they come up. For example, when your toddler yells "No!" because his block tower just fell over, tell him, "It sounds like you feel frustrated because your tower fell down."

2. Label the emotions that your child sees in others. For example, you might say, "You gave Sheila your toy, and now she's smiling. She looks so happy."

3. Encourage and applaud empathic actions, such as sharing. For example, you might say, "You saw that Baby Davey was crying, and you blew him a kiss. That was such a nice thing to do."

4. Make an example out of yourself and others, and point out empathetic acts to your child. For example, make sure to point out when you are collecting clothes to donate or when you see someone else being helpful to an older person.

5. Give your child small chores to do that make her responsible for others. For example, you might have her fill up the dog's bowl with food or entertain a baby sibling during bathtime. Praise your child for making the dog or the baby happy.

Tips & Warnings

• If a child doesn't seem to understand the definition of an emotion, discuss how the body responds when he feels that emotion. For example, your fists may clench, your heart may pump faster and you may feel hotter.

• Do not act angrily while disciplining your child. Instead, show empathy. For example, you might say "I know you were upset when I asked you to put on your shoes. But we do not kick when we are upset. Kicking hurts. What could you do instead?"

References

• PDF Cast: Promoting Empathy in Preschool Children
• Family Education: How to Teach Empathy
• Baby Center: The Caring Child: How to Teach Empathy